


odds are we're gonna be all right (for another night)

by QueenWithABeeThrone



Category: Daredevil (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, Office Romance, Pining, everyone in this office is ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-23 06:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4867265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenWithABeeThrone/pseuds/QueenWithABeeThrone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"I'm pretty sure you might have an ulterior motive for plying me with delicious coffee every other day or so."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You're right, I'm trying to slowly coax the secret to the filing system out of you."</i>
</p><p> or: Karen Page and her Ridiculously Gigantic Crush on Kirsten McDuffie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	odds are we're gonna be all right (for another night)

**Author's Note:**

> for a prompt that asked for Kirsten/Karen on the kink meme's [new comics prompt post!](http://daredevilkink.dreamwidth.org/5176.html#comments) (which needs more prompts, you guys.) yes, I. may be filling my own prompt, shut up.
> 
> title is from Barenaked Ladies' "Odds Are".

Karen's seen a lot of things, working at Nelson & Murdock (now Nelson, Page & Murdock)--first as a secretary, then as a lawyer in her own right. She's gone through a lot there, too, nearly _died_ while working there, and she can safely say that she has seen a lot. Way too much, even, like: Matt's downward spiral culminating in that Shadowland thing, Foggy almost dying while Matt was in prison, Milla (god, poor _Milla_ ), some--some teleportation-capable supervillain trying to fuck with Matt's head--she's seen it all.

She likes to think so, anyway.

Then Kirsten McDuffie walks into the office, snatches the Mike Murdock hat off the mannequin's head, and perches on top of Karen's desk and says, "Ms. Page! How's things?"

Karen, through sheer force of will, does not end up choking on her coffee, but it's a damn near thing.

\--

So. Kirsten McDuffie.

It all starts before Matt and Foggy's Big Fight of 2013, during the Jobrani case. Karen's working a late night and drinking her fifth cup of coffee, wishing she hadn't sent Foggy home to look for his tie there because maybe then she'd have company that isn't coming from the radio, when someone says, "Hey, so I finally met Daredevil."

Karen chokes, looks up to see Kirsten leaning against the doorway. There's a file in her hand, and a smile on her face, and some small part of Karen thinks, _oh my god, she's hot._

She coughs, then says, "I have no clue what you're talking about, we cleared Matt of those allegations a while ago." She stands up and crosses her arms, trying her best to present an image of cool intrigue and probably failing. "What brings the city's newest assistant DA to our little office?"

"Can't I drop by just to say hi?" Kirsten asks.

"Well, you could," Karen says, with a small laugh, "but then I'd be really suspicious. Also, you led with, _so I met Daredevil_. Who we've previously established is not Matt."

"Uh-huh," says Kirsten, in a tone that implies she doesn't believe that at all, before she continues, "so I finally met Daredevil, and I've got something he might be interested in. Specifically, something I just happened to stumble across about Ahmed Jobrani. You know, your client, police brutality case, the one Murdock nearly lost today because the judge blew his stack?"

"Doesn't the state of New York frown on members of the DA's office giving up information to vigilantes that happen to be closely associated to our firm?" Karen asks her, tucking a strand of blonde hair back behind her ears. Kirsten smiles then, before sauntering over to her table and leaning on it.

"It does," she says, "but if you were to read it over my shoulder--well, Ms. Page, you've got a rep for being nosy."

"I've been called worse things," Karen dryly remarks, as Kirsten lifts the file up over her shoulder for Karen to read. "Is that--oh. Oh my _god_. That's--I could _kiss_ you!" She pauses, seeing the slightly surprised look on Kirsten's face, and hurriedly backtracks, saying, "I mean--I'll pass it along to Matt and Foggy. ASAP."

"Ms. Page," says Kirsten, her smile taking on a flirty tinge, "I think I'll save the kissing at a later date. Oh, and by the way--"

She fishes a familiar-looking striped tie out of her bag, and said, "Tell Foggy he left this at my roommate's last night."

Karen watches her leave, with Foggy's lucky tie on the desk and one hand ready to dial his number, and thinks, _Oh, god, this is going to be Matt all over again._

\--

It takes Karen a while to see her again, after that. She hears that Kirsten had gone on a date with Matt, which is--is it weird, she wonders, to be jealous of your ex for getting to date your current crush? But they seem to get along pretty well, from what Matt says, so Karen sighs and wishes them both the best of luck.

Then--well. Jack's remains in Matt's desk, Matt and Foggy's fight, Coyote and the Spot, Matt storming out of the office. Karen ends up knocking on Matt's door with a bag full of Chinese takeout, the only thing she had the time to get, and they end up watching _Law & Order_ on the couch together, Karen's head on Matt's shoulder, almost like old times, except instead of the occasional kissing (which is missed, don't get her wrong, but this is nice too), Karen talks.

At one point, midway through the episode, she says, "Have you heard from Kirsten?"

Matt huffs out a breath. "Not since I got kicked out of the firm, no," he says. "She isn't taking my calls."

"Well, you did seem a little unhinged for a little bit back there," says Karen. Once upon a time she wouldn't have thought it of him, but--well, things change. There's a scar, just an inch or so away from her heart, where Bullseye nearly killed her. But she's not Elektra, the only thing she could think of when she saw Matt stabbing Bullseye through the chest was, _Oh, Matt, what have you done?_ "Would've been nice if you'd picked up on one of our calls."

"I was held captive in _Latveria_ , and then I fell into a coma, I had no opportunity to answer them at all," Matt huffs, which--point. Karen cranes her head a little, sees that unfocused, sightless gaze. "Why are you asking after Kirsten, anyway?"

Karen coughs. "No reason."

" _Karen._ "

"She's a very lovely woman?" Karen tries. "And I would love to talk with her more." Which isn't a lie, per se, she does want to talk with her more, it's just not the whole truth.

"Sure," says Matt, his tone deeply skeptical.

\--

Matt comes back to Foggy, as he always does. Karen's pretty sure they're going to orbit each other forever, no matter if they're dating anyone else. She may be running a small pool on who's going to kiss who first and where. Her money's on Matt.

She walks inside a little after Matt heads in, to find him pacing the floor and talking about--about treatments and symptoms of diseases, and Foggy looking guilty, and Karen says, feeling a headache coming on, "Are you fighting again?"

"No, Karen," Matt starts, "we aren't--we're not _fighting_ again, it's just that--did you know? About the tests?"

"What tests?" Karen asks, dread pooling in her stomach. "Foggy, this doesn't have anything to do with how you've been disappearing lately, does it?"

"You didn't tell _Karen_?" Matt asks him.

Foggy fiddles with his thumbs then, and says, "It's not for sure yet, but--I've been going to the hospital a lot, lately. For tests."

"Tests for _what_?" Karen demands.

"Cancer."

\--

He tests positive.

Karen spends a good portion of her evening crying into Matt's shirt, because this--this isn't _fair_ , Foggy is one of the best people they know, how is it that she nearly dies and Matt gets splashed with radioactive waste and yet it's _Foggy_ who has to go through this? It isn't _fair_.

And it means Foggy has to spend more time at the hospital and less at the office, because of the chemotherapy and the observations the doctors want to make and Karen--Karen has to stay, has to keep the office running, because someone has to balance the books and pen the briefs and keep all the trains running on time, and they all know that asking Matt to do it is a bit like asking the Punisher to be a little less murderous--not impossible, but _very_ difficult to do.

So Karen's the only one in the office when Kirsten McDuffie walks in, snatches the hat off the bust, and makes her stomach flip and her heart beat faster and faster.

\--

Karen's pretty sure she's not going to be able to stand this.

 _This_ , of course, being Kirsten, who Karen knows for a _fact_ is going to be the death of her. There's just--it's her smile, her dimpled cheeks, the way the sunlight catches on her dark hair when Karen looks at her just right, the musical quality of her laughter, the feel of her skin when their hands brushed together that one time while Karen was making herself some coffee.

God help Karen Page, but she's got a ridiculous crush on Kirsten. It's a bit like Matt all over again. Or Mike. Or Daredevil. She has no idea anymore, but she does know she is in it up to her damn ears.

It doesn't help that Kirsten keeps popping into her office. She'll be writing briefs or reviewing files or shouting down a judge (" _McKnight, you pompous asshole--_ " has escaped her lips more times than she can count), and then Kirsten will be showing up at her door with two cups of coffee and a smile that makes Karen's stomach do flips that Matt would be envious of.

One day she can't stand it anymore and says, "So what's all the coffee for?" She blows on the top of her cup to try to get it to cool faster, and says, "I mean, maybe it's just me being cynical, but I'm pretty sure you might have an ulterior motive for plying me with delicious coffee every other day or so."

"You're right, I'm trying to slowly coax the secret to the filing system out of you," Kirsten says, and Karen snorts out a laugh. "Seriously, how _do_ you do it?"

"I keep Matt's collection of sight puns and Foggy's junk food out of sight of our staff so they at least _seem_ professional, and it usually means some creative measures need to be taken," Karen says. "It's so nice to know you just value me because I'm the only one who actually knows how to file things around here."

"Objection, Counselor, I value you because you are an important and integral part of this business," says Kirsten, with a little grin.

Karen huffs out a laugh, and sips at her cup, and smiles back.

Yeah, she's got the most ridiculous crush on this girl.

\--

Kirsten's smart, funny, kind, brave--all qualities Karen finds that she's attracted to. Case in point: Matt. Though Kirsten is far more well-adjusted than he is.

Kirsten starts coming by with sandwiches, especially when they've been working nonstop for a while and Karen hasn't taken her lunch yet. She appreciates the effort, even if it's obvious that the sandwiches are store-bought and not homemade.

It's not until she finds a note that says _Come with me to dinner this Friday, y/n?_ tucked into the wrapper for one of them that something clicks in Karen's head.

"Did you know Kirsten's been flirting with me?" she asks Matt, when he drops into her office to ask after a case they've been working.

Matt says, "Uh, yes? Her heart speeds up when she's around you."

"And you didn't tell me this, _why_?"

"It wasn't obvious?" Matt asks, genuinely surprised, and Karen buries her face in her hands and gives a helpless little laugh.

"Not everyone," she tells him, "can hear heartbeats as well as you do, Matt." She makes another noise, muffles the start of a hysterical laugh. "Oh my _god_ , do I have any date-worthy perfume?"

"That lavender one you used to use," Matt says.

"They discontinued that one," says Karen, her heart fluttering.

She's going on a _date_.

\--

Karen Page kisses Kirsten McDuffie on a Friday night.

It comes out of nowhere, the kiss--they're walking home, talking about cases and the Fantastic Four and the early days when Nelson, Page & Murdock was still Nelson & Murdock, and they stop underneath a street lamp in front of Karen's apartment.

She could go. She could thank Kirsten for a night well-spent, she could give her a peck on the cheek and be on her way. She could do that.

"I had a great night," says Kirsten, smiling softly and sweetly, and Karen's stomach flips.

"I had an even better night," says Karen, honestly, and she bends down just a little, just enough to catch Kirsten's lips with hers.

Karen Page kisses Kirsten McDuffie on a Friday night, then invites her inside her apartment to continue the night.

\--

(Matt sniffs the air the next day when Karen comes in with some hurriedly applied makeup, and says to her, "So I suppose congratulations are in order," with a shit-eating grin.

Karen wads up a sheet of paper from the pad she's been scribbling on and tosses it at his head.)

\--

_fin._


End file.
